Chrysanthemum plant named Harvest Emily

ABSTRACT

A Chrysanthemum plant named Harvest Emily particularly characterized by its flat capitulum form; decorative capitulum type with many disc florets, especially in spring flowerings; vivid orange ray floret color, with darker orange-bronze center of the flower; diameter across face of capitulum of 57 to 70 mm when fully opened; branching pattern is spreading and prolific, with 8 to 9 breaks after pinch when grown outside under natural daylength in fall flowerings, and 6 to 7 breaks after pinch when grown in 10 cm pots for spring flowerings; natural season flower date of August 13 to 19 when planting rooted cuttings on June 21 to 23 in Salinas, Calif., and of September 15 when planting rooted cuttings June 11 in Hightstown, N.J.; flowering response of 45 to 48 days after rooting in no light/no shade programs in spring; plant height of 38 cm when grown in fall under natural daylength with no growth regulators in New Jersey, of 23 to 25 cm when grown in fall under natural daylength in California, and of 23 to 25 cm when grown in 10 cm pots in spring with 0 to 2 applications of 2500 ppm B-9 SP; and durable, uniform performance.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum, botanically known as Dendranthema qrandiflora andreferred to by the cultivar name Harvest Emily.

Harvest Emily, identified as 8486 (87-284D01), is a product of amutation induction program. The new cultivar was discovered and selectedby Cornelis P. VandenBerg on Jun. 22, 1990, in a controlled environmentin Salinas, Calif. as one flowering plant within a flowering blockestablished as rooted cuttings from stock plants which had been exposedas unrooted cuttings to an X-ray source of 2000 rads in Fort Myers, Fla.on Nov. 30, 1989. The irradiated parent cultivar was the cultivaridentified as Emily, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,754, anddescribed as a garden mum with a flat decorative flower with many discflorets; light pink ray floret color, with darker center of the flower;diameter across face of capitulum of 57 to 70 mm when fully opened;spreading and prolific branching pattern, with 8 to 9 breaks after pinchwhen grown outside under natural daylength in fall flowerings, and 6 to7 breaks after pinch when grown in 10 cm pots for spring flowerings;natural season flowering date of August 13 to 25 when planting rootedcuttings June 21 to 23 in Salinas, Calif., and September 16 to 29 whenplanting rooted cuttings June 15 to 18 in Hightstown, N.J.; floweringresponse of 45 to 48 days after rooting in no light/no shade programs inspring; plant height of 36 to 38 cm when grown in fall under naturaldaylength with no growth regulators in New Jersey, of 23 to 25 cm whengrown in fall under natural daylength with no growth regulators inCalifornia, and of 20 to 25 cm when grown in 10 cm pots in spring with 0to 2 applications of 2500 ppm B-9 SP. The ranges of measurements forEmily given here are somewhat wider than the measurements given in thepatent description for Emily. This is based on continuing floweringtrials of Emily after filing the plant patent application for Emily.

The irradiation program resulting in Harvest Emily had as its primaryobjective the expansion of color ranges of the parent cultivar Emily.The irradiation program comprised irradiating cuttings of the parentcultivar at irradiation levels of 1750 and 2000 rads. A total of 1073cuttings harvested from a total of 150 irradiated plants were planted onApr. 23 and 16, 1990, respectively. Of these, 17 initial selections weremade, which selections were then revegetated and reflowered. Threeconsecutive flowerings resulted in discarding 12 of the original 17selections on Mar. 5, 1991. The remaining five selections weremaintained as PIs (Possible Introductions) and further trialed inSalinas, Calif., Hightstown, N.J. and Leamington, Ontario, Canada,ultimately resulting in the decision to discard code 8492 on Oct. 1,1992, to discard code 8484 on Nov. 4, 1992, and to introduce selection8486 as Harvest Emily, selection 8485 as Blushing Emily and selection8476 as Cheery Emily. Blushing Emily and Cheery Emily are disclosed inpending application Ser. Nos. 08/151,975 and 08/151,974, respectively.

The first act of asexual reproduction of Harvest Emily was accomplishedwhen vegetative cuttings were taken from the initial selection in August1990 in a controlled environment in Salinas, Calif., by techniciansworking under supervision of Cornelis P. VandenBerg.

Horticultural examination of controlled flowerings of successiveplantings has shown that the unique combination of characteristics asherein disclosed for Harvest Emily are firmly fixed and are retainedthrough successive generations of asexual reproduction.

Harvest Emily has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations inenvironment such as temperature, light intensity and daylength, without,however, any variation in genotype.

The following observations, measurements and comparisons describe plantsgrown in controlled open areas in Salinas, Calif., and in Hightstown,N.J. Rooted cuttings were established in soil and maintained outdoorsunder the natural temperature and daylength prevailing during Junethrough October. Spring flowerings were conducted in Salinas, Calif.under greenhouse conditions which approximate those generally used incommercial greenhouse practice for small pot spring garden mumproduction.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe basic characterisitcs of Harvest Emily, which, in combination,distinguish this Chrysanthemum as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Flat capitulum form.

2. Decorative capitulum type with many disc florets, especially inspring flowerings.

3. Vivid orange ray floret color, with darker orange-bronze center ofthe flower.

4. Diameter across face of capitulum of 57 to 70 mm when fully opened.

5. Branching pattern is spreading and prolific, with 8 to 9 breaks afterpinch when grown outside under natural daylength in fall flowerings, and6 to 7 breaks after pinch when grown in 10 cm pots for springflowerings.

6. Natural season flower date of August 13 to 19 when planting rootedcuttings on June 21 to June 23 in Salinas, Calif., and of September 15when planting rooted cuttings June 11 in Hightstown, N.J.

7. Flowering response of 45 to 48 days after rooting in no light/noshade programs in spring.

8. Plant height of 38 cm when grown in fall under natural daylength withno growth regulators in New Jersey, 23 to 25 cm when grown in fall undernatural daylength in California, and 23 to 25 cm when grown in 10 cmpots in spring with 0 to 2 applications of 2500 ppm B-9 SP.

9. Durable, uniform performance.

The accompanying photographic drawing is a color photograph of HarvestEmily grown as a pinched garden mum under natural season outsideconditions in Salinas, Calif., with the colors being as nearly true aspossible with illustrations of this type. Plants were grown outside anddug and transplanted into 15 cm bulb pans at flowering time forphotography purposes.

Of the commercial cultivars known to the inventor, the most similar incomparison to Harvest Emily is the parent cultivar Emily. In the abovedescription of Harvest Emily the ranges of values for Harvest Emily aremuch narrower than the ranges of values given for Emily. This is basedon the fact that Emily was flowered over many years, while Harvest Emilywas flowered over a period of only one and a half years. All traits ofHarvest Emily are similar to those of Emily, except for the ray floretcolor. The ray floret color of Harvest Emily is vivid orange with adarker orange-bronze center of the flower, while the ray floret color ofEmily is light pink wtih a darker center of the flower.

In the following description, color references are made to the RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart. The color values were determined onplant material grown as a pinched garden mum grown under natural seasonoutside conditions in Salinas, Calif. on Aug. 16, 1993.

Classification

Botanical.--Dendranthema grandiflora cv Harvest Emily.

Commercial.--Flat decorative spray pot mum and garden mum.

INFLORESCENCE

A. Capitulum:

Form.--Flat.

Type.--Decorative with many disc florets, especially in springflowerings.

Diameter across face.--57 to 70 mm when fully opened.

B. Corolla of ray florets:

Color (general tonality from a distance of three meters).--Vivid orangewith darker orange-bronze center of the flower.

Color (upper surface).--167C, overlaid with 168B. Center of capitulum169B.

Color (under surface).--22A, streaked with 178D.

Shape.--Flat, straight, rounded petal tips.

C. Corolla of disc florets:

Color (mature).--6B.

Color (immature).--2A, overlaid with 144B.

D. Reproductive organs:

Androecium.--Present on disc florets only, moderate pollen.

Gynoecium.--Present on both ray and disc florets.

PLANT

A. General appearance:

Height.--38 cm when grown in fall under natural daylength with no growthregulators in New Jersey, 23 to 25 cm when grown in fall under naturaldaylength in California, and 23 to 25 cm when grown in 10 cm pots inspring with 0 to 2 applications of 2500 ppm B-9 SP.

Branching pattern.--Spreading and prolific, with 8 to 9 breaks afterpinch when grown outside under natural daylength in fall flowerings, and6 to 7 breaks after pinch when grown in 10 cm pots for springflowerings.

B. Foliage:

Color (upper surface).--147A.

Color (under surface).--147B.

Shape.--Relatively small, shallow lobes, and slightly serrated.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named Harvest Emily,as described and illustrated.